Saying “Please” & “Thank You” to ChatGPT Is Doing Actual Harm

We’ve all been there—asking ChatGPT something like, “Can you please help me write an email? Thanks!” It feels natural, polite, and, for many of us, just good manners.

But what if those extra words are doing more than just making your request sound nice? According to recent conversations in the tech world, that tiny bit of etiquette might actually be costing more than you think.

Politeness in the Age of AI & ChatGPT

In a world where we’re interacting with AI more and more, it makes sense that human habits spill into our prompts. Saying “please” and “thank you” is part of how we talk to people, so it’s no surprise that we talk to AI the same way. In fact, OpenAI has reported that a large number of users regularly use polite language when speaking to ChatGPT, even though the model doesn’t require it to function.

For many, this isn’t just a habit—it’s a way of keeping humanity in the loop. Parents even encourage their kids to say “please” to Alexa or Siri to help teach good manners. So what’s the harm?

The Hidden Cost of Extra Words

Here’s where things get interesting: AI like ChatGPT processes prompts using computing power, and longer prompts require more tokens (units of language the model reads). Each token costs money to process. For example, OpenAI and other AI providers charge users, especially those on paid plans or using the API, based on how many tokens their request uses.

So, while saying “please” and “thank you” might only add a few tokens, at scale, that politeness can add up. For enterprise-level users or developers running thousands of queries a day, even small increases in token count can impact monthly costs.

So, Should We Stop Being Polite to ChatGPT?

Honestly, it depends. If you’re just chatting casually or using a free version, there’s no real harm in being polite—it’s a nice human touch. But for businesses or heavy users managing costs, it might be worth trimming the fluff.

That said, being polite to AI isn’t really about the AI—it’s about us. It reminds us to stay kind, respectful, and thoughtful in a world where we talk to machines as much as we do to people. And that, for many, is worth a few extra tokens.

Being polite to AI isn’t wrong—it’s human. But when it comes to efficiency, every word matters. Whether you’re a casual user or someone managing a large-scale AI application, it’s worth thinking twice before adding those extra niceties. After all, your manners might be costing you more than just time.

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